When it comes to sunglasses, Oakley is hard to beat. Oakley has always strived to be at the forefront of lens technology, which has made it one of the leaders in the sunglasses market. Oakley offers a wide variety of sunglasses with custom options to fit each rider’s needs. But choosing the best sunglasses for you is not a simple task.
Aside from budget and performance, style and comfort are probably your top considerations. Oakley sunglass frames are made of O’matter, a lightweight material you can’t even feel when you wear it. The iconic Prizm lenses provide impressive optical clarity and help enhance clarity and increase contrast. You may even want the color to coordinate them with your best cycling clothing. Whichever you prefer, we can help you find the best sunglasses for your needs. Below we’ve compiled a list of some of Oakley’s most popular models.
Flight Jacket
Flight Jacket features large coverage, unique styling, quality optics, and excellent eye protection. The frame is moderately sized and aerodynamically designed to wrap around the sides and bottom of the large lenses, with no frame at the top. The frameless brow design is designed to increase the upper field of vision and works very well. The curved lenses and wrap-around design of the eyewear fit the face well.
The frame has been carefully designed with adjustable arms for use with riding helmets, and it has hydrophilic rubber contact points to keep these glasses from slipping off your nose or bouncing off your face when you start sweating or hitting rough spots on the road. Plus the Flight Jacket has an effective anti-fog Advancer nose bridge frame and an adjustable nose pad that pushes the glasses further away from your face to enhance airflow and prevent fogging.
Highlights：
- Unique adjustable Advancer nose pad for anti-fogging
- Interchangeable leg lengths for improved helmet compatibility
- An open-edge brow maximizes the upper field of view
Drawbacks：
- The top of the sunglasses tends to hit the helmet
- Lenses aren’t interchangeable
Jawbreaker
Oakley Jawbreaker remains one of the most popular cycling sunglasses, fits great, and has stood the test of time in terms of looks and performance. Jawbreaker offers crystal clear optics with its distortion-free Prizm lenses and road-specific tint for road clarity. Its 53 mm high lens provides unobstructed vision even when riding in the drop, and its 131 mm wide scalloped lower half wraps around your face and fits comfortably around your cheekbones.
Jawbreaker offers four cutouts in the mirror to prevent fogging and promote airflow. It does not fog up easily, despite a slow and laborious climb throughout the temperature range. For added comfort, the nose rest is adjustable, as are the ear stems. If you wear these around town, they may look ridiculously large, but the Oakley PRIZM ROAD’s wide frames make them perfect for fast-paced standard and general road biking.
Highlights：
- Wide range of facial coverage
- Switchlock™ technology for easy lens changes
- Legs can be adjusted to three different lengths for helmet compatibility
Drawbacks:
- Do not suit all face shapes
- Heavier than other models.
Oakley Flak 2.0 XL
Oakley Flak 2.0 XL has been an Oakley staple for years, an upgrade to the Flak 2.0 to make it even better and considered Oakley’s most comfortable frame. Oakley Flak 2.0 XL strikes a near-perfect balance between performance and style, and these glasses are great for almost any outdoor activity. It can either keep up with you on your mountain bike or never look over the top when you go for a ride around town.
Oakley Flak 2.0 XL is an upgraded version of flak 2.0. XL refers to its extended lens, so you can see more coverage without touching your cheekbones. Even on sandy downhill single-track courses, the Oakley Flak 2.0 XL’s lenses keep dust and wind out of our view. The large rubber nosepiece ensures a secure fit even when sweating profusely and distributes pressure evenly so you don’t experience nose discomfort after a full day of wear. The interchangeability of the lenses also adds versatility to the Oakley® Flak 2.0 XL sunglasses, making these sunglasses a great choice for outdoor activities.
Highlights:
- Semi-frameless design to create a better view downward
- 8-base high wrap-around frame for maximum coverage and peripheral vision
- Interchangeable lenses
Drawbacks:
- Limited range of fit, suitable for medium size face
- Thicker lenses get dirty easily
Oakley Plazma
Oakley Plazma is one of the most popular Oakley frames released to date in 2021. Inspired by the popular racing jacket, Plazma creates a full-rim, two-lens sports frame with maximum coverage. The frame features a full rim design with aggressive angles throughout. It is cycling-specific and provides the wide field of vision and impact protection needed for optimal cycling eyewear.
The aggressive eight-base wrap design helps provide a wide field of vision. The functional motion design with three-point construction is designed to keep the glasses in precise optical alignment. If you have a tough prescription, then these glasses are definitely your top pick.
Highlights：
- Come with ‘Oakley Authentic Prescription lenses
- easy to replace lenses
Drawbacks:
- No replacement lenses available from Oakley
- Less elemental protection
Oakley Radar EV Path
Oakley Radar EV Path sunglasses feature a taller frame design that provides a larger field of view at the upper periphery, which means it’s ideal for people who like to move at high speeds and need a large, open sight on the route/path ahead. The lack of a bottom frame on the Radar makes it easier to look down while riding.
With integrated surge ports on its temples, it allows more air to flow through the glasses. And four small vents on the top edge of the lens are engineered for ventilation that assists evaporative cooling while keeping airflow away from your eyes. Radar EV Path is designed for a wide range of outdoor activities. With interchangeable discipline-specific lenses, it allows you to change them according to your environment and activities.
Highlights:
- Half-frame structure with open view
- Interchangeable lenses
- Excellent anti-fog effect
Drawbacks:
- Long arms can interfere with helmets
- Hydrophobic coating on the outside only
- Hard to replace lenses
Oakley Sutro
The retro-themed Oakley Sutro raises the bar for cycling performance and style. It truly is a stunning pair of sunglasses – elegant and sophisticated, with large cylindrical lenses that complement and hold in place the thin black full frame. Oakley Sutro eschews traditional sport-style cycling glasses for a retro look designed to make the bike look both beautiful and functional for urban cyclists’ use.
Plus, Sutro has a really cool shield design and offers excellent coverage and protection. The lens is 150 mm wide and 55 mm high enough to keep you well protected against sand, debris and UV rays while riding, providing your eyes with plenty of eye protection and a wide field of vision. But the Sutro is only suitable for most people with average or slightly above average head size, and people with larger heads may feel some pressure and discomfort on the sides of their heads.
Highlights：
- Ample coverage and protection
- Retro and chic design
Drawbacks:
- Limited range of fit
- Lack of hydrophilic rubber at the contact points on the side of the head
- Non-adjustable temples interfere with the helmet
Conclusion
Whichever frame you choose you can’t go wrong, it’s recyclable. But for cyclists, lenses are a consumable item. Lenses need to be replaced immediately when they are damaged by sand, gravel, or accidentally dropped and scratched during a ride. The damage to your eyes from wearing scratched lenses is not to be underestimated.
However, for consumables, the original lenses are too expensive. As far as I know, there are many brands of replacement lenses that do a good job, like MRY, and Papavivalens, they all win the market with good value for money. In particular, MRY’s XLED lenses are almost indistinguishable from Oakley’s original lenses and cost only a third of the price. If you need to replace your scratched lenses, MRY would be a superb choice.